Joy falls asleep in the hammock on our porch soon after Justin disappears. She’s lost so much blood, she’s no doubt exhausted. 

Suzy and I sit next to her. We don’t need to sleep, after all, and we’re worried about her.  

Master Mind stands guard, but of course there are no dangers in the dream anymore as far as we know when the Dreamers are awake.

Suzy and I exchange looks. I can see how worried she is about Joy and that these things keep happening and will keep happening to her, because Joy is a normal girl surrounded by Dreamers who can create almost anything.

After a few hours, Joy wakes up. 

We give her some of the water from the bottles that Justin always leaves on the ship and that she had made permanent. Suzy makes her a healthy breakfast from the food Justin summons every few days for our house and that Joy always makes permanent. 

Joy starts opening up her tourniquet. 

“I don’t think you should do that, dearie,” Suzy says softly. “Let’s wait until your father comes back and he can call upon that nurse friend of his.” 

“Ah, phooey,” Joy says. And now I’m realizing this is what she says every time Sandra is mentioned. “I’m fine,” she adds.

She unties my torn and bloody shirt from around her wound - I’ve taken another one from my closet after everything settled down, of course. Joy, Suzy, and I all peer at the wound. 

“The wound is closed,” Suzy says, looking at it from one side. She looks at the other side of the through-and-through wound. “It’s closed here, too.” 

Joy examines it from all sides as well. “Joy, don’t move it or the bleeding will start again,” Suzy tells her. “You’ve lost so much blood. You can’t afford to lose more, okay?” 

Joy makes a strange face, and I’m not sure if that was a reluctant ‘okay’ or her saying she’ll do what she wants. 

“There’s no pus,” Suzy says. “No pus at all. I’ve never seen a wound with no pus.” 

“What’s pus?” Joy says.

“I, uh,” I start. Then I realize I’ve been tense for too long and that I don’t feel like explaining. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll know it when you see it.” Then I think that that’s no way to teach a girl about life. If she has a question, she needs an answer. “Ask me tomorrow and I’ll tell you.” 

“Look,” Joy touches the abundant dried blood on her leg. Underneath there are parts which are not completely dried but are thicker. She pokes them as she says, “I have jelly! This is jelly!”

“Joy, Joy, don’t touch the blood, you might open the--!” 

“Ooh, raspberry jelly!” She brings some of it to her mouth and tastes it. 

“Oooph!” I say while Suzy looks away with a disgusted look on her face. 

“I wish it tasted like raspberry!” she wipes it on her shirt. “Okay,” she sits straight in the hammock, moving her legs out. “Let’s see how my leg works now.” 

Oh no! I think. This is terrible! And Justin isn’t here to stop her!

(To be continued…)

Told by Grampa Walt